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The Dancing Blade
Roach visits the cloth merchant Karokk to buy fine clothes for himself, Lau, and Taigus, since they are scheduled to appear before the Council and must be formally dressed. Karokk tells them that he will be leaving the city and heading eastward in three days, and that he would be happy to have the party as his personal bodyguards. They agree to travel with him. Later, Hachiman stays behind to look after Kojo while Roach and Lau are summoned to the Council's investigational hearing for Taigus. Three Councilmen preside at the hearing: the elderly woman Vinrova, the high elf Sothrasis, and the bearded gentleman Edamus. Their main inquiries pertain to the deaths of Exal and Councilman Rook, and especially why the latter was even murdered to begin with. Taigus convinces the Councilmen that Exal is truly dead, leading them to drop the matter entirely. However, the halfling bailiff Tingle McCringle catches this lie, choosing to keep this knowledge to himself. Taigus recognizes Tingle as the Enforcer known as the the Dancing Blade. The Councilmen move onto the topic of Rook's death. They call upon Lau and Roach as witnesses to supplement Taigus's testimony. All three of them inform the Councilmen that Rook was a dark wizard and that he had conspired to open an infernal gate beneath the city. They also speak of Nadu's betrayal and how he was corrupted by the same force that overtook Rook's mind. The Councilmen request proof of Rook's magical capabilities, so Taigus shows them the enchanted ring that he found on the traitor's corpse. Using it, he summons the bearded devil Jevrax, shocking many of those assembled for the hearing, and commands it to attest to Rook's true nature. Jevrax, with Roach serving as his translator, reveals his master's entire plan and how the Fatesworn aided them in opening the infernal gate. With so much evidence leveled against Rook, the Councilmen decide to exonerate Taigus of all wrongdoing and officially adjourn the hearing. Hachiman grows curious about the brightly mottled egg in his possession. He takes it to Riverdrown's only zoo in the Garden District and meets with an eccentric zookeeper named Dalton. Dalton, to the best of his knowledge, claims that a sunhawk will hatch from the egg and that it will need to be fed dozens of bones. Taigus, wishing to use Jevrax for more than just a showpiece, visits a fighting hall called the Muscle Box and finds that its reigning champion is no other than the Dancing Blade. Spotting Taigus in the crowd, Tingle has his mastiff give the high elf a message. In it, Tingle states that he knows Taigus lied to the Council when asked about Exal's death. This clearly displeases Taigus. Jevrax is pitted against Tingle and both manage to land several strong blows throughout the fight. Taigus, having placed his bet on Tingle and rigged the match in his favor, discreetly commands the devil to throw the game at the last minute. He walks away with 300 gold as the crowd cheers Tingle's name.